Air Pollution In Tehran Sends Hundreds To Hospitals

- Severe air pollution in Iran's capital, Tehran, has put nearly 400 people in hospitals with heart and respiratory problems. Hassan Abbas, a Tehran emergency services official, said on December 30 that the city's dirty air had caused another 1,434 people to be treated in their homes for similar problems. - 12/31/14

Pardis Sabeti and Team of Ebola Fighters Recognized by TIME as 2014 Person of the Year

- Iranian American and award-winning computational geneticist at Harvard University,Pardis Sabeti, along with other Ebola fighters, were named TIME magazine's 2014 Person of the Year. The Ebola fighters were chosen for their bravery and stepping-up during a time when many others were reluctant to do so. - 12/24/14

Iran opens cell therapy center

- Iran inaugurated the cell therapy and regenerative medicine center affiliated to the country's Red Crescent Society in a ceremony attended by Iranian Vice President for Science and Technology Affairs Sorena Sattari. - 12/23/14

Alcohol poisoning deaths decline in Iran

- The Iranian coroner's office reports that 53 people have died in the past seven months due to alcohol poisoning. Coroner's office spokesman Kambiz Soltani said this represents a 31-percent decrease from the same period last year. - 12/19/14

Royan using stem cells to treat kidney diseases

- Iranian researchers at Royan Institute are conducting clinical trials to treat chronic and acute kidney disease by using mesenchymal stem cells, an official said. Speaking on the sidelines of the 12th Asian Congress of Urology (ACU), Dr. Reza Moqaddas-Ali, the head of Kidney Group of Stem Cells Research Center affiliated to Royan Institute, added that the researchers have conducted animal trials successfully. - 12/12/14

Methamphetamine Use Soars in Iran as Lifestyles Speed Up

- Women in headscarves and men in tatty clothes puff on a glass pipe as smoke swirls around their faces. The pictures published by Iranian media and blogs in recent months are a sign of a new drug epidemic: shishe, or methamphetamine. Shishe means "glass" in Farsi, a reference to the appearance of the drug in some of its purest forms. -Reuters - 12/8/14

Toronto, Mashhad medical universities ink MoU

- Mashhad University of Medical Sciences and Canada's University of Toronto signed a memorandum of understanding on sharing educational and scientific findings. The deal was concluded in a ceremony attended by the Head of Clinical Biochemistry Department Khosrow Adeli and the professor of Toronto University's Biology Pathology Department. - 12/5/14

Iranian President orders report on controversial interference waves

- Iranian President Hassan Rohani has ordered his ministers of "Communications and Information Technology", "Health Care" and "Defence" as well as the head of the Atomic Energy Agency to submit a report to him on the use of interference waves in the country. - 12/2/14

Iran's nurse shortage worsened by emigration

- While Iran faces a shortage of 80,000 nurses, statistical reports indicate that 1,000 nurses emigrate from Iran each year. Iran's College of Nurses has criticized the failure to value the role of nurses and the lack of appropriate government policies to address the country's nurse shortage. - 11/30/14

Iran sanctions still hamper import of pharmaceuticals

- Iran's health minister says some medications continue to be scarce, despite assertions by the U.S. and the European Union that international sanctions do not affect Iran's access to the pharmaceutical and medical equipment market. - 11/29/14

Doubts cast on purported safety of Tehran city water

- Despite reassurances from the Ministry of Health, water supply experts still maintain that the case of polluted water in Tehran is not closed and needs further investigation. Last week, the head of Tehran Health and City Services announced that the capital's tap water has a high level of nitrites and must not be used for drinking, recommending bottled water instead. - 11/25/14

Issues with Domestic Gasoline? The Battle Over Gasoline Rages On in Iran

- The worsening of the air pollution situation in Tehran has resurfaced the in-fighting among Iran's political factions over gasoline. Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, recently published a special report on imported gasoline and asserted that in fact it is the cause of the deteriorating air condition in Tehran. - 11/25/14

Officials disagree on safety of Tehran tap water

- The head of Tehran Health and City Services Commission has called on the city residents to stop consuming tap water and only use bottled water for drinking. Rahmatollah Hafezi stressed that tap water in certain parts of the city can be harmful to people's health. - 11/20/14

Severe air pollution triggers emergency response in Tehran

- Tehran has announced that due to the decline in air quality, emergency services will be available in various locations around the capital to attend to citizens as needed starting Monday November 17. - 11/18/14

Sharif University robots help with treatment of cancer children

- The research paper submitted to Sixth International Conference on Social Robotics University of Technology, Sydney, by Sharif University of Technology researchers Minoo Alemi, Ali Meghdari, Ashkan Ghanbarzadeh, Leila Jafari Moghadam, Anooshe Ghanbarzadeh, titled 'Impact of a Social Humanoid Robot as a Therapy Assistant in Children Cancer Treatment,' was awarded the best paper title. - 11/3/14

Chemical waste sends 235 to hospital in Zahedan, Iran

- More than 200 hundred people in Zahedan, most of them schoolchildren, were hospitalized because of poisoning due to the inadequate disposal of oil and gasoline waste in the city. - 10/28/14

Ebola Could Enter Iran, Says Health Minister

- Iranian Health Minister Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi said on October 23 that the deadly Ebola virus is likely to enter Iran.Hashemi said no case of Ebola has been observed in Iran so far. - 10/24/14

Iran manufacturing centrifuges used to produce vaccines: AEOI director

- Iran has attained self-sufficiency in manufacturing centrifuges used for making vaccines, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Director Ali Akbar Salehi announced on Friday. Salehi made the remarks on the sidelines of the 18th Annual Asian Science Park Association (ASPA) Conference in Shiraz - 10/18/14

Professor Majid Samii named world top neurosurgeon

- The world renowned Iranian scientist in neurological surgery Professor Majid Samii has garnered the 2014 Golden Neuron Award. The award was announced during a ceremony held at the biannual meeting of the World Academy of Neurological Surgery in Vienna on October 11. - 10/12/14

Tehran hosts 2nd national herbal plants exhibition

- The 2nd National Exhibition and Festival of Herbal Plants, Natural Products and Traditional Medicine has held in the Iranian capital, Tehran, Press TV has reported. More than 353 companies participated in the year's exhibition to offer their products and services. - 10/4/14

Iranian Official Says Satellite Jamming Can Cause Cancer

- An Iranian official has said the government's use of satellite jamming could pose a health risk to citizens. Sayed Motasadi, deputy director of the human environment committee of Iran's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), told the official IRNA news agency on October 2 that "the possibility [of satellite jamming] causing cancer exists." - 10/3/14

Nitrate levels in Tehran water may threaten infant health

- Tehran's water supply may contain a high level of nitrates, says the chairman of Tehran City Council's committee for health, the environment and utilities. Infants below six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the maximum contaminant level (MCL) could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. - 10/2/14

Iran ranks 2nd in medicine consumption in Asia

- Iran ranks second after China in terms of medicine consumption in Asia, an official at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences said on Monday. - 9/29/14

Officials warn millions of Iranians suffer from poor diet

- The Ministry of Health has reported that 47 million Iranians do not have an adequate diet, which in turn has caused "widespread vitamin D deficiency in the past 10 years and a decrease in height." - 9/17/14

Iranian researchers produce anti-depressant pills from saffron

- Iranian researchers have produced anti-depressant pills, using saffron extract. Head of Iranian Drug Produces Development Center of Mashhad Medical Sciences University said the country aims to mass produce crocin tablets used for recovery of depression. - 9/10/14

Iran starts building Mideast largest oncology center in Rasht

- Iran started construction of the Middle East's largest oncology research center in a ceremony attended by a distinguished Iranian neurosurgeon and medical scientist professor Majid Samii in Rasht City, northern Iran. - 9/4/14

Iran: Coroner's office concerned by increase in suicides

- The head of Iran's coroner's office says 4,055 people committed suicide in the country last year and the number of suicides is on the rise. The Coroner's Office announced last year that there has been a 14-percent increase in the number of suicides across the country. - 8/20/14

Honoring a young woman who gave life to others in her death

- A tragic plane crash in Tehran on Sunday August 10 that took the life of 37 people onboard. But unknown to many is how this crash also claimed the life of a young Iranian woman on the ground as well. Moments before the crash, Hadiseh Ghasemi, 21, a Tehran University student, was riding a taxi in the area. This is when the driver heard the sound of the plane and noticed it is coming down and could possibly hit his taxi. - 8/17/14

Iran to end organ transplants for foreigners

- Iran's Minister of Health has announced that organ transplants for non-Iranians will be banned by the end of September. He cited the long waiting lists for Iranians seeking organ transplants as the main reason for the new regulation. - 8/17/14

Iran ramps up efforts against HIV-AIDS

- The Iranian Health Ministry announced that it will start offering various tests as part of its pregnancy services including the HIV test in 10 high-risk areas in 16 provinces. - 8/15/14

Tehran hospital ready to deal with Ebola cases

- A hospital in Tehran has been designated as a site for the quarantine of suspected Ebola infection cases. ILNA reports that the head of contagious diseases at the Ministry of Health made that announcement, saying there currently are no adequate forms of treatment for Ebola and that the only resort is to isolate patients and prevent contagion. - 8/14/14

Iran's first public detox clinic licensed in Tehran

- Iran's Health Ministry has issued a licence for the country's first public centre for alcohol detoxification, which will operate out of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences. A report released last year by the World Health Organization pegged Iran's alcohol consumption per consumer as the nineteenth highest in the world. - 8/4/14

Botox on the rise among Iranian men

- Majid Abhari, a sociologist and a favorite of the administration, has time and again discussed what he calls the new obsession of Iranian men with Botox, and interprets it as a mental complex in which men see themselves as ugly, and increasingly struggle to beautify themselves, while women, since they are veiled and covered, perceive themselves as beautiful and therefore have higher self-esteem. -Mehrnaz Samimi, Al-Monitor - 8/2/14

Ministry of Health Concerned over Sale of Iranian Kidneys

- Iran's Charity Association for the Support of Kidney Patients (CASKP) says the Ministry of Health has to establish protocols to prevent the sale of Iranian kidneys to foreign patients. The ministry's response, however, is that the Society must be held accountable for this problem. - 7/26/14

Bill Criminalizing Birth Control is "Against Citizens' Rights," Critics Say

- Two prominent Iranian lawyers have questioned the legitimacy of a bill approved by the Iranian Parliament on June 24, 2014, which calls for punishment against those who perform birth control procedures such as vasectomy and tubectomy. The bills are part of an official drive to boost the country's population. - 7/18/14

Iran's Population Drive Could Outlaw Vasectomies

- Iran cannot force its citizens to have more children, but it could take away their ability to get their tubes tied. Acting on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's calls for Iran to reverse course and boost its population growth, parliament has passed a bill that would make vasectomies, tubectomies, and other surgical methods of sterilization punishable by two to five years in prison. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE - 7/2/14

Fake commercial drugs more profitable than narcotics in Iran

- The head of Iran's Medical Drugs Information Centre says the country's trade in counterfeit commercial drugs, most of which come from Pakistan, has become more lucrative than dealing in illegal narcotics. - 6/27/14

Iranian Health Minister challenges law against birth control

- Iran's Minister of Health has challenged the new legislation passed by Parliament to criminalize vasectomies and tubectomies, saying the legislation is in violation of citizens' rights. - 6/26/14

Iran outlaws birth-control methods, promotion

- Iran's Parliament has passed legislation criminalizing "abortion, sterilization, vasectomies, tubectomies and any promotion of childbirth reduction" under penalty of two to five years in jail. - 6/25/14

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) - update by

- The National IHR Focal Points of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Islamic Republic of Iran recently reported additional laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) to WHO. - 6/15/14

Tehran-Sponsored Hospital Eyed With Suspicion In Afghanistan

- BAMIYAN -- Afghanistan has been the recipient of millions of dollars in assistance from neighboring Iran. But while Kabul has accepted the much-needed support, it has often shown wariness of Tehran's motives. -Abbas Naderi and Frud Bezhan, RFE - 6/8/14

Iran working on self-sufficiency in producing medicine: President Rouhani

- President Hassan Rouhani said here on Friday that Iran is trying to become self-sufficient in some medicines production. Talking to reporters, President Rouhani made the remarks when inaugurating the first production line of growth hormone in Tehran. - 5/30/14

Iran Reports Its First Death From MERS Virus

- Iran reportedly has suffered its first fatality from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Reports by state media on May 29 about the death come a day after the first cases in Iran were publicized. - 5/30/14

Egypt, Iran, Pakistan among top growth countries with respect to tobacco consumption: WHO

- On World No Tobacco Day, 31 May, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Egypt, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Pakistan are expected to be among the top growth countries, with respect to tobacco consumption, worldwide, in the next 40 years, the United Nations Information center said in a press release on Thursday. - 5/29/14

Iran Reports Its First Cases Of MERS Virus

- Iran has recorded its first two cases of the potentially fatal Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Iranian media quote Health Ministry official Mohammad Mahdi Gouya as saying the virus that causes MERS was confirmed in two sisters in the southern province of Kerman. One is reported to be in critical condition. - 5/28/14

Iran's petrochemical gasoline linked to cancer

- Iran's Department of the Environment has published a report confirming gasoline produced at petrochemical refineries "causes cancer." The Shargh daily reports that the statement says: "To combat sanctions and provide for the country's gasoline needs, the former administration began a rushed effort to produce petrochemical gasoline without a long-term plan." - 5/2/14

Iran Seeks To Offset Advancement Of Women In Medicine

- "Parisa" is among the thousands of young women who have transformed the once male-dominated field of medicine in Iran. Whereas men made up 70 percent of the country's medical students and physicians about 20 years ago, women have reversed the situation to the point that women like Parisa now account for 70 percent of Iran's medical students. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE - 4/23/14

Iranian medical official reveals steep rise in cancer rate

- Iran's Chief of Internal Medicine reports a rise of 20 to 30 percent in the number of cancer cases in the country, adding: "By next year, we will have 400,000 cancer patients in the country." - 4/23/14

Welcome to the body parts shop... would you like to place an order?

- Professor Alexander Seifalian (UCL Centre for Nanotechnology & Regenerative Medicine) and his team are aiming to make organ donation a thing of the past, combining nano-composite materials with stem cell technologies for the growth of replacement organs. - 4/14/14

Congress Urges President to Ensure Sanctions Do Not Block Medicine for Iranians

- The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) commends Rep. James Moran (D-VA) and all twenty-one Members of Congress who sent a letter to President Obama today supporting necessary action to ensure medicine and humanitarian goods are not unintentionally blocked for the Iranian people. - 4/5/14

This Norooz, Wishing Iranians (Access to) a Healthy New Year

- Since 2012, due to current U.S. and European sanctions on Iran, ordinary Iranians often cannot access the life-saving medicine they need to address critical health issues. -Yasmin Radjy, NIAC - 3/28/14

Iran imports over $1.6b worth of medicine in 11 months

- Iran imported $1.601 billion worth of medicine in the first eleven months of the current Iranian calendar year, which began on March 21, 2013, an official at the Iranian Customs Administration said on Wednesday. Imports of medicine rose by 23.5 percent in value and 29 percent in volume compared to the previous year - 3/13/14

Hundreds protest transfer of Iran's Social Security Fund

- Five hundred Tehran workers and retirees insured under the Social Security Fund gathered in front of the Parliament building on Wednesday March 12 to protest plans to hand over the health insurance branch of the fund to the Ministry of Health. - 3/13/14

Iranian Midwives Protest Hiring Proposal By Health Ministry

- Following a Ministry of Health proposal to engage midwives as nurses in hospitals, Iranian midwives staged a demonstration in from of the ministry building. The Etemad daily reports that demonstrators gathered holding banners that denounced the ministry proposal. - 3/7/14

Iran's health budget faces deficit at year end

- The Iranian Minister of Health announced that the national health budget has a shortfall of 60 billion rials this year, emphasizing that the situation was inherited from the former administration. - 2/27/14

Recombinant drugs made in transgenic goats at Iran's Royan Institute

- Researchers of Royan Institute have extracted recombinant drugs made in transgenic goats, a morning English-language paper quoted chairman of the institute on Monday. According to ˈIran Daily,ˈ Dr. Hamid Gourabi said that Royan intends to begin mass production by generating herds of transgenic goats. - 2/24/14

Report: Iranian President Donates $400,000 to Jewish Hospital

- Iranian news agencies report that President Hassan Rouhani has donated $400,000 to a Jewish hospital in Tehran. Rouhani was quoted as saying his government will pay more attention to Iran's minorities. - 2/7/14

Statistics show Iran's cancer rate rising fast

- The chairman of the Cancer Research Center of Iran, Mohammad Esmail Akbari, says 41,000 Iranians die of cancer each year and Iran's cancer rate is among the world's fastest rising. - 1/30/14

Hundreds get sick due to cracks in Tehran water pipes

- Hundreds of people were stricken with diarrhea and vomiting attacks after drinking tap water in the Pardis neighbourhood of Tehran. Residents have been urged to use bottled water for the next 24 hours while the matter is being investigated, according to Javan News. - 1/17/14

Petition addressed to UN protests Iran sanctions

- A petition, signed by more than 2,500 people and addressing the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, has protested the sanctions targeting Iran's medical imports. The petition has been initiated by a group of Iranian political, cultural, and artistic figures. Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami as well as Oscar-winning filmmaker Asghar Farhadi are among the signatories. - 1/7/14

Iranian surgeon: brain cancer vaccine is a promising therapy

- A London-based Iranian neurosurgeon who is leading the first ever brain cancer vaccine trial in Europe, says he is satisfied with the initial results of this new therapy for the most aggressive form of brain cancer known as "glioblastoma tumour". - 1/5/14

Tehran governor-general urges import of Euro 4 petrol

- Tehran Governor- General Hossein Hashemi on Wednesday called for import of petrol to meet Euro 4 standard until self-sufficiency in production of high quality gasoline. Hashemi said low quality of the gasoline being consumed in Iran is the prime reason of air pollution in Iranian metropolitans. - 1/2/14

Iran: Drying wetlands in 40 regions contributing to air pollution

- The head of biodiversity for the Department of the Environment reports that 40 wetland areas in Iran have partially or completely dried out. IRNA reports that in 40 regions, the wetlands have dried out anywhere from 20 to 100 percent, and the main cause is the lack of effective management of water resources. - 12/30/13

Hepatitis statistics show long-term decline in Iran

- The head of Iran's Hepatitis Research Network reported on Saturday December 14 that 1.6 million people in Iran carry the hepatitis virus. - 12/15/13

President Rohani Calls For Action On Iranian Air Pollution

- ISNA reports that on Wednesday December 4, Rohani called on the Department of the Environment, the presidential Deputy for Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health to find new and innovative ways of working together to reduce air pollution. - 12/6/13

Medicine imports to Iran rise 40% in month: report

- Imports of medicine to Iran increased by 40 percent in the past Iranian calendar month of Aban (ended Nov. 21) compared to its preceding month, according to Iran's Customs Administration. - 12/4/13

Iranian Health Minister foresees drug costs declining

- Iran's Minister of Health has promised that in view of the recent agreements in Geneva, drugs will become cheaper in the country. According to Ghazizadeh, difficulties in making payments in the past year have contributed to a 20% increase in the cost of drugs. - 12/2/13

Stimulant in rainfall sends hundreds to hospital in Ahvaz, Iran

- Ahvaz health officials say 1,500 people ended up in emergency rooms last night due to respiratory problems brought on by rain. The Mehr News Agency reports that officials claim the presence of a stimulant in the rain water has been causing the widespread shortness of breath. - 11/20/13

Iran: Thousands go to Khuzestan hospitals after "acid rain"

- Following a rainy day in various parts of Khuzestan Province on Saturday November 2, many people went to hospitals with serious bouts of choking and shortness of breath. ISNA reports that 3,100 people reported serious respiratory symptoms in Khuzestan following the weekend rainfall. - 11/5/13

Blood shortage reaches critical stage in Tehran province

- The head of blood services for Tehran province announced on Wednesday that the department's stores are dangerously low and it currently has only a two-day supply of necessary blood transfusions for patients. Khorasan Province announced a similar concern over low blood and plasma banks. - 11/1/13

WHERE DOES DIZZINESS COME FROM? Johns Hopkins researchers pinpoint a key area for "upright perception" in the human brain

- "Our brain has this amazing way of knowing where we are in space, whether we are upright or tilted at an angle, even if it is completely dark and we can't see anything around us," says Amir Kheradmand, M.D., a neurology instructor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who conducted the research. - 10/19/13

New Campaign Launches to Ensure Iranians' Access to Non-Sanctioned Goods

- A coalition of civil society organizations has launched an international campaign to ensure access to medical and humanitarian goods for the Iranian people. Just Access, supported by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Arseh Sevom, United4Iran, and Sanctioned Life, aims to establish a payment channel through the European Union to allow Iranians to purchase these non-sanctioned items. - 10/2/13

Photos: Inauguration Of Nuclear Medicine Department Of Razavi Hospital In Mashhad, Iran

- On Saturday September 21, the second phase of Razavi Hospital in Iran's northeast city of Mashhad was inaugurated in an official ceremony on Saturday. The new building has 40 thousand square meters of space with the most advanced facilities and medical equipment. But what makes it really important is its state-of-the-art nuclear medicine department. - 9/23/13

Iran's first fertility center via 'telemedicine' network to kick off

- Dr. Maghrebi explained that there are 50 fertility centers currently operating in the country and based on statistics around 15% of married couples are infertile, therefore such centers are perfect places for these couples to take advantage of. - 8/30/13

Pollution protests in Zanjan lead to closure of metals factory

- Citizens of Zanjan have succeeded in their protest against the pollution caused by a lead and zinc factory, with the provincial authorities announcing its closure. The announcement concludes that the shutdown order was issued following the residents' demands to transfer the factory's work. - 8/27/13